Wilkins’ Tooth, or Witch’s Business as it was published in the U.S., is Diana Wynne Jones’s first children’s book.

To be honest, I breathed a sigh of relief opening this after Changeover – this is the Diana Wynne Jones I was looking forward to reading. It was certainly less polished than her later works, and somewhat less imaginative. Lighthearted, yet with a gradual gravity, Wilkins’ Tooth turned out to be quite charming.

Broke and bored, siblings Frank and Jess decide to start a revenge business in their neighborhood. In a series of interlinking requests that involve most of the children in the neighborhood, they find themselves still penniless (er, penceless) and wrapped up in the affairs of the old woman the other children swear is a witch. I love how slowly we are pulled into the world of this light contemporary fantasy, never quite knowing how strong of a supernatural element is at play.

The reader is immediately initiated into a place where adults are not to be trusted. Jess and Frank’s parents have halted their allowances because they broke a chair, and forbid them from making their own money. The first adults who see the sign for their business, Own Back Ltd., laugh openly, and the next teases them. At every turn there are vague fathers, mean aunts, and mothers with grudges against boys. Here, adults are the ones who get children into trouble. The children are the ones who must figure out a way out on their own terms, which can involve anything from pulling teeth to tumbling chimneys.

The children themselves are up to the task. Frank and Jess are a strong duo, who generally trust each other. Frank is a bit more daring, while Jess’s sense of fairness keeps them from taking advantage of others. This is not to be underrated: the children are tempted with money at every turn, but must keep their greed in check to avoid doing “a bad act disguised as a good one.” This is some of the only good advice they’re given from an adult, who happens to be mad.

Frank and Jess are joined by bossy Vernon and mild Martin, the cute-but-tough sisters Frankie and Jenny (a miniature to Frank and Jess?), and bully Buster and his humongous gang. Buster turns out to be one of the best characters, from his swearing (all pineapple-puking and zombie-bits) to his breakdown that finally cues Frank and Jess in to the seriousness of the situation, and the true evilness of the witch.

The witch does the things witches do: sends illnesses on people from afar, befuddles her enemies into becoming her servants, and sends her cat out spying. It’s fun, but nothing special: neither an insight into or a turn of the tropes.

Similarly, the ending left a bit to be desired. I thought it was rather weakly done that Jess and Frank freed the group from their climactic capture using the exact tactics of a well-known fairy tale – not only that, but they actually tell us that’s what they’re doing. I did enjoy what will become a DWJ classic: whisking everyone away at the ending to turn everything on its head – something she’ll perfect later. However, everything ended too quickly without enough payoff. I enjoyed Wilkins’ Tooth, but I look forward to moving on to her bigger and better works.

Read more in the Diana Wynne Jones Retrospective series – new posts every Wednesday.

2 Responses

I found your blog looking for reviews of Wilkins’ Tooth this morning, because I’m starting a DWJ re-read with this book – and was delighted to see someone else doing the same thing! I enjoyed your review, and will be reading the rest of your retrospective